The Game Has Changed
by Gipity88
Summary: A little one shot of Sam when he was taking Quorra to see the sunrise. Enjoy.


His bike had always been a way to escape for him.

Whether manual or motorized, it had been the way Sam Flynn had gotten away from it all. The sharp wind that surrounded him was almost like a blanket of comfort, shielding him away from the world. A world that had taken away those he held dear. When he was on his bike, he was secure. The rumble of the engine beneath him was like sweet music to his ears, the grip he had on the handle bars under his complete control, the speed filling the rush he needed. The speed limit was always too slow for him.

He didn't go so fast now. No... He had a passenger. Someone behind him who held onto him like a little girl held onto her prized teddy bear. He had to admit... He didn't mind.

So much had changed in a matter of a few hours... Or hell, in a few minutes. Time in the digital world was so different compared to the real one. Though he had been on the Grid for nearly half a day, it had only been handful of minutes back in the real world. So much had happened. His whole life was changing so quickly now.

Before, Sam had been independent, always on his own besides the company of his dog which he had rescued of the streets of Brazil a couple years ago. He didn't take on the responsibility of the major corporation that was truly his, the one he was destined to run, like his father before him. He showed his disapproval of the way it was run, as well as kept his father's name in the fore front, through expert hacking and pranks. He led a life of extreme stunts and sports, of acting like he didn't give a damn. He nearly didn't believe his father was out there anymore.

That was before Alan had gotten the page that had led him to the digital frontier his father had always told him about before bed.

There his father had been. All that time, he had been stuck there, wanting to come home, for who knows how long. He had been alive the whole time, and he had never left him on purpose. The feeling of being reunited was indescribable.

He tried so hard to get his father back home, where he belonged. Back to the real world, with him. CLU didn't allow for that to happen. In the end, his father had sacrificed himself to keep the dictating program away from Sam, Quorra, and the portal that led to the outside world.

Sam wasn't exactly sure what he felt. He was nearly in denial... Thinking that maybe his father had survived and was in the Grid, waiting for him to return... But a major part of him knew that his father was truly gone. However, it had been what he had wanted, for him to take Quorra out of there on his own, and with her, change the world.

Telling Alan that they would be taking back ENCOM and bringing it back to it's former glory had been a big deal for him, but he knew it was time to take his place. It was time for him to get the company back to the way it had been when his father had been running it, maybe even bigger and better than ever. Hell, maybe he would do it without bothering to wear a suit and tie.

There wasn't only taking his rightful place as ENCOM's top dog that was going to change his life so drastically, but it was Quorra too. She was brand new to the real world. She was like a child on her first day of school. He was the one who was going to be taking care of her, teaching her, showing her, nearly taking his father's place in her life. He wasn't sure how well he was going to do... All he knew was he was going to take care of her and protect her the best he could. She was a selfless warrior, but she was so innocent and naive. He didn't want that broken by the brutal world which he had been born into. Though he wasn't about to smother her, he wasn't going to let anyone harm her under his watch either.

The cold wind splashed against them as they rode up the mountains of California, Sam knowing exactly where he was going. He was going to take her to see her very first sunrise, something she told him she wanted to experience during their time on the freight train, making their way towards the portal. It was a small gesture to most who came from the real world, but he knew to her it would mean so much more.

He felt her face press against his back as she squeezed him just slightly. The small action sent a wave of assurance through Sam. He could do this. He could be who he was destined to be and do what he was destined to do.

The game had changed, and he was going to play.

He was going to win.


End file.
